Tag Archives: mobile world congress

We've been hearing rumblings and rumors about a new Galaxy phone from Samsung for months now. But nothing really solid has come of it, until now. Like right now. This morning, at Mobile World Congress, Samsung's mobile division chief J.K. Shin told Edaily that the SamsungGalaxy S4 will launch March 14.

Here's what he said:

"We introduced the Galaxy S3 in London last year, and this time we changed the venue (to New York)... as we were bombarded with requests from U.S. mobile carriers to unveil the Galaxy S4 in the country."

So it's official, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming in less than a month. However, Shin fell short of saying anything about its specs or design.

Still, at least we have the good old cell phone accessories industry to help us out in that department. Business Insider reported last week on some leaked pictures of what are supposedly Galaxy S4 carrying cases.

Leaked pics of Galaxy S4 cases may reveal what the latest Galaxy phone looks like before its big unveiling

If the pictures (and Mobile Fun, the site which first revealed them) can be trusted, the Galaxy S4 is shaping up to be a bigger than the Galaxy S3, with a 5 inch screen like that of the Galaxy Note.

Otherwise, notes SlashGear, "there’s the usual Samsung layout of a headphone jack up top, lock and volume keys on the side, and a charging/syncing port on the bottom, presumably microUSB. A hole for the microphone is alongside it."

Still, we can't totally rely on Mobile Fun, since, like the rest of us, they've yet to actually see the latest Galaxy in Samsung's lineup. But at least we won't have to wait too long, since the Galaxy S4's big reveal is less than a month away.

HTC Media Link’s maiden voyage at last year’s Mobile World Congress did not make much of a splash. The second go-around at this year’s MWC out-razzles and out-dazzles its predecessor. The HTC Media Link is a WiFi adapter that lets consumers make use of their HDTV to stream video, music, and pictures via DLNA.

That basic concept hasn’t changed since last year, but the product has been significantly refined to improve the end users’ experience. And, with the 2012 version you can wirelessly stream your phone display – oh the possibilities! With fairy godmother-like precision, a three-finger swipe of the display on the HTC One X or HTC One S will magically bring your display to the big screen via the Media Link.

This means bringing your web browsing session to the TV, or your Angry Birds game, or your email, or your applications. What is really magical about this year’s device is that you can show a feature film streaming from your phone to your home theatre. Does this mean you have to be phone free while the film is being shown? No sir! With a simple touch of the home button, this wonderful piece of smartphone gadgetry and accessorizing lets you continue to use your cell phone. Including phone calls!

To bring the smartphone display back to the palm of your hand, another downward swipe of three fingers on the display will do the trick. For HTC fans that want to maximize the utility of their devices without adding to the tech clutter in the home, this could be the alternative to a docking station.

While there have not been announcements around the availability of this nifty accessory, anyone who uses the media player functionality, apps, games and the many other capabilities of their HTC will add this to the must-have accessory list when suiting up their new HTC One S or HTC One X this spring.

For all its brand recognition and funding power, Microsoft has not seen a high adoption rate of its mobile software in the past. However, this year looks to be a new chapter in the company’s move to diversify its end point offerings from traditional PCs, notebooks, MacBooks, smartphones and tablets. This is being accomplished with partnering with companies like Nokia and BlueStack that will widen their customer base and mobile device sales.

Another recent move to accomplish this was bringing OneNote to Apple’s iOS and Android users will have the cloud-synced note-taking app at their disposal as well. Leveraging this popular organizational tool, Microsoft is spreading its net far by including Apple and Android. And, multi-mobile OS platform availability highlights the changing landscape of customers wanting the device, apps, and mobile OS of their choice which explains the increased popularity of unlocked smartphones.

Those with Android 2.3 or above can try out the app with 500 notes for free before having to shell out $4.99 to purchase the full version. With established competition like Evernote, Springpad and the up and coming Catch Notes, OneNote is a solid alternative where end users can edit tables synced from the desktop app and create to-do lists. Other features like photo notes, bulleted lists, check boxes and highlights make for a great experience even though custom tables cannot be made and synced.

Microsoft looks to be making its move with savvy and has a multi-pronged approach. So, we have yet to see what the Mobile World Congress will bring to continue this trend whether it is with accessories or other technology pairings. Whatever is brought to the table, we look forward to it!